Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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At the end of July, Ottery St. Catchpole welcomed a special guest.
Hagrid was discharged from the hospital, and with the help of Newt and the healer, he remembered everything that had happened before. He also learned from other professors about the events in the Forbidden Forest at the end of the term.
Hagrid could hardly believe that Kyle had twice faced life-threatening situations a month ago, both of which were related to him.
"It's all...my fault...this...idiot!"
In Kyle's living room, Hagrid covered his face with his hands and sobbed, "I almost caused you to die in the Forbidden Forest, and because of me, you encountered werewolves at St. Mungo's. I should be expelled from Hogwarts and remain a Muggle for life!"
Hagrid trembled all over, and because of grief and regret, this nearly four-meter-tall giant cried like a child whose lollipop had been taken away, large tears seeping into his beard.
"Hagrid, calm down." Kyle handed him a tablecloth, comforting him. "Wipe your face. Don't forget you were a victim in Oren's affair too. And I've compared the notes; the contents of that note weren't written by you, were they?"
Kyle glanced at his sofa with a hint of heartache.
Carrying Hagrid was already a heavy task for him, and with Hagrid's trembling… Kyle could clearly hear a sickening creak coming from the sofa, as if it might give up at any moment.
"But you almost died!" Hagrid sobbed. "I told Oren about Fluffy, and that's how he got the chance to trick you."
"He always has a way," Kyle said. "Don't forget he's my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor; he can always find a reason to take me to the Forbidden Forest."
"But you'll definitely be wary of other excuses!" Hagrid's shoulders were still shaking. "And St. Mungo's, it was only when you came to see me that we encountered that werewolf."
"It was an accident," Kyle shook his head. "And thankfully, I was the one who stumbled upon it. Otherwise, how many innocent patients do you think would have died that day… or turned into werewolves?
We successfully averted a major crisis, Hagrid.
Besides, I should thank you, because of the werewolf incident, I'll probably be receiving the Order of Merlin's medal soon. Dean Sassia promised she'd be my nominee."
"The Order of Merlin…" Hagrid finally looked up, staring at Kyle in shock. "You're probably the youngest recipient of that medal."
"Who knows?" Kyle shrugged. "Have a candy; it might cheer you up."
"Thank you, Kyle." Hagrid took the toffee Kyle offered, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "That reminds me, I brought you a gift too."
Kyle looked a little nervous, frowning. "It's not the new ferret sandwich flavor, is it?"
Hagrid finally managed a forced laugh. "If you like it, I can make it for you next time, but not today."
He pulled a large box from behind his back, saying, "I just found out your birthday is tomorrow too.
Happy birthday in advance, Kyle. This is a cake I made myself."
Kyle opened the box; inside was a large chocolate cake sprinkled with frosting, with the words "Happy Birthday Harry?" written in green syrup.
Hagrid misspelled it, but that was probably the gist.
But that wasn't the point.
Kyle squinted, his face full of confusion and bewilderment. "This is… for me?"
When did he change his name? Did Chris and Diana know?
"Of course you don't like it… Sorry, I took the wrong one."
Hagrid looked at the words on the cake, slapped his forehead with enough force to topple a bull, and then pulled a box from another inner pocket of his coat.
"This one is for you."
The same frosted chocolate cake, the same typo, but the syrup on top was yellow, and Kyle's name had been changed.
"You and Harry share the same birthday, I mixed up the two cakes."
"Thank you, Hagrid, I love it."
Kyle immediately cut a small piece of cake and put it in his mouth, and then… that was it.
A rich, sweet taste shot straight to the top of his head, like drinking a mouthful of concentrated syrup.
He really shouldn't have eaten anything Hagrid gave him!
Kyle gritted his teeth and swallowed the small bite of cake with difficulty.
"How does it taste?"
"Fantastic!" Kyle gave a thumbs up. "I've never eaten such a sweet cake."
"I'm glad you like it." Hagrid said happily, "Won't you have some more? There's plenty more."
"No, no, it's not the right time yet." Kyle shook his head repeatedly. "I'm planning to share it with my friends tomorrow.
It would be a shame if Fred and George missed out on such a delicious cake, and Cedric will be back soon too. I'm going to save a piece for him."
"Yes, good things are meant to be shared with friends." Hagrid smiled. "If you like, you can come find me anytime after school starts."
"Cough cough...definitely, definitely." Kyle felt a tightness in his throat and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, you prepared a cake. Are you going to give it to Potter?"
"Yes, Dumbledore agreed to let me take him to Diagon Alley, but…" Hagrid frowned. "I was supposed to go tomorrow, but for some reason, the acceptance letter hasn't reached him yet. So Dumbledore told me to go ahead and check, just in case something goes wrong."
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "That does seem a bit odd."
"Yes, so I'll go to Surrey in London this afternoon to deliver the letter to him personally." Hagrid continued, "You know, Harry can't miss the start of Hogwarts."
"Don't worry so much, it's the owl's fault." Kyle looked out the window, thought for a moment, and said, "Some Muggles don't like birds, maybe they chased away the owl that delivers the letter.
How about this, you give me the letter, and I'll have Rodon deliver it for you. You can just take him to Diagon Alley."
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
Hagrid hesitated; he still wanted to give the letter to Harry himself.
"No trouble at all," Kyle waved his hand. "The owl delivering the acceptance letter is a Hogwarts tradition, very memorable, and each young wizard can only experience it once. Once you miss it, there won't be a second time."
Hagrid paused, taken aback.
Oh yes… how could he have forgotten that?
"Alright." Hagrid hesitated for a moment, then took out a pale yellow envelope and handed it to Kyle. "Thank you for your help."
"No problem." Kyle accepted the envelope.
Hagrid stayed a little longer before preparing to leave.
Before he went out, Kyle suddenly asked, "By the way, Hagrid, what did you think of that toffee?"
"Oh, I haven't eaten it yet," Hagrid said with a smile. "I'm going to bring it for Harry to try; he's probably never had any wizarding sweets before."
"…"
Hesitant.
After Hagrid left, Kyle called Rodon and handed him the acceptance letter. He also took the toffee he had secretly hidden next to the wax seal.
"Be careful, that family isn't very friendly, and they might have weapons."
[End of the chapter]